aXL99’s drawing/painting live, random antics abound. Questions on the chat and over Skype are answered, and the occasional request to monkey-dance will be obliged.

aXL99 is an amazing artist from the far away land of … Canada. She is also a huge fan of many of the things we hold near and dear at this site; comic books, video games, and being a nerd. Today at 3pm EST you can watch Jessie create some incredible Mass Effect art live on the web. You’ll also have the opportunity to ask questions and pester her while she draws something cool.

Who is the gravely Cobra Commander voice you’re hearing in this new trailer? “It doesn’t take the most powerful nations on Earth to create the next global conflict — just the will of a single man.” My money is Ghost, the hotshot operator from Soap’s old team who was burnt alive and left for dead. I’d be pretty pissed too.

For most players, it is obvious that gameplay is king. Game sales are currently dominated by sports, multiplayer FPS, and rhythm games. Everyone knows at least one person whose game shelf is dominated by multiple “years” of sports titles or series’ of online frag-fests. For me, however, storytelling trumps everything.